Dunkin': A Rebranding for the Digital Age

Monday, October 22, 2018

Dunkin': A Rebranding for the Digital Age Emma Wiltshire, socialmediatoday.com

Dunkin’ Donuts has made the executive decision to drop the “Donuts” from their name. Chief Marketing Officer, Tony Weisman ensures us that with this rebranding Dunkin’ is “not changing who [they] are at the core.” This change is a way to better represent their vast product offering and appeal to the younger (digital-first) generations.

“Our new name is simpler, shorter and more modern, while still embracing our rich heritage by retaining the familiar pink and orange colors and iconic font that were introduced in 1973. It also speaks to the breadth of our product offerings.” - Tony Weisman, CMO of Dunkin'

This classic American brand is (successfully) tapping into the nostalgia of their life-long customers with a twist of the new and exciting.

Although, said not to go into full effect until January 2019, we’ve already seen the initial stages of the rebranding start on their social media channels.

The pressure is high on fast food restaurants to have a prominent social media presence and digital strategy. Tech-savvy consumers have high expectations. Whether it’s the ability to mobile-order or have a tweet conversation with a Wendy’s rep, younger generations want these restaurants to be active. For example, Arby’s has successfully used their social media presence to build an almost cult-like following of loyal customers.

Dunkin’ is quickly moving in that direction. This rebranding has given them the opportunity to offer new products all under the well-known and loved brand of Dunkin’. They’ve begun to explore new “trendy” marketing tactics such as building a very Instagramable pop-up tiny home.

It’d be interesting to see a case study over the next year to see if their rebrand helps boost their social media engagement and following. Because Dunkin’ relies heavily on UGC for their social media strategy, it’s smart that they are putting time and energy into crafting beautiful and trendy products (like a tiny echo-friendly home), painting murals, and creating other easily-shareable content.